The After Years: This Year's Loving
by Chief Chilly
Summary: My little drabble about various couples in The After Years. Ceodore/Ursula, Calca/Brina, Cecil/Rosa, Palom/Leonora, Kain/Porom, Edward/Harley, Edge/Rydia, with a little Edward/Anna and so on.


**Ceodore: I'm getting kissed by a girl in this story? O_O**

**Benjamin D: That's right, Ceodore. The only story on FanFiction that pairs you up, or even mentions you, does so with Kain Highwind, by a certain Kain/Cecil shipper. You've got more to lose than that, so I paired up with Yang's girl. You two make a cute couple. **

**Ursula: Just promise me we don't have to make love in this fiction as well. I don't want to end up pregnant. **

**Benjamin D: Fine, fine. Do you mind deep loving?**

**Ursula: No… Why?**

**Benjamin D: Well you'll be doing that instead. **

**Ursula: Well as long as we don't have a baby as Cecil and Rosa did…**

******EDIT: Ugh, this thing really needed some work. Please don't comment about how awful it is, I can only take so much criticism. **

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**This Year's Loving**

**Chapter 1: Ceodore and Ursula**

Golbez ascended high into the sky, catching everyone's attention immediately. The elder Harvey brother was a very eye-grabbing individual who looked as if he was a demigod. When he spoke his voice was more solemn than it usually was. "I have bad news, ladies and gentlemen. Our journey has reached its climax, and we may not be coming back from this false moon. If you have anything to wrap up, now is the time to do it. You will regret not doing it far more than doing it, trust me."

Those words were as sharp as a rapier on Ceodore's skin. He knew something he wanted to do. But how could he? He knew what the answer would be, and she had never seemed like the loving type anyway. Ursula's main goal in life was to become a monk, like her father, even if he refused to train her himself at first. Why would she notice someone like Ceodore Harvey, whatever about his abilities?

Why did she try to model herself on Yang so much? Ceodore couldn't understand it. Did individuality mean anything to her? Nobody saw _him _trying to become exactly like Cecil. Hell no, he would not become the hopeless man that his father was. He would not retrace his father's footsteps just because people told him to. Ceodore Harvey was his own man. He was not a clone of his parents. And yet Ursula, that pretty, cute girl whom he never seemed to know whether to love or hate, wanted to be just like her father. She worshipped him like an idol or a god. Ceodore loved his father, but he got everyone down with his newly acquired misery. And Yang had never struck Ceodore as the fatherly type.

But how would Ursula accept him? What had they in common? And what if she had someone else to go back to? "If only Biggs or Wedge were here," Ceodore sighed. "They would know what to do." The spirits of the two Red Wings soldiers stepped forward. Biggs and Wedge were there to help their friend with his "problem".

"Ceodore!" Biggs called out. Ceodore looked at the two men in shock. "Captain Biggs! Wedge! I thought I'd never see you again!" "Even in death, we will be right there to watch over you, Your Highness!" Wedge smiled. "So son, what's your problem?" "Well, there's this girl, and I don't know how to tell her how I feel. Worse yet, Uncle Golbez says we may not be coming back from our mission." Ceodore bit his lip. "Well, what're you waiting for, boy? What have you got to lose? If you're a dead man anyway, all you have to do is go up to her, sit her down, and tell her how much you like her!" Biggs pointed out. Ceodore cringed. "To be honest, it's more like I love her." "Oh, you sly dog! Woof, woof!" Now Biggs was teasing him.

Wedge put his hand on Ceodore's shoulder. "Prince Ceodore, what Captain Biggs is trying to say is that you don't have to be afraid of telling her or what she will think of you for it. For starters, you are a handsome lad and she _must_ love you back at least a little, surely. Second, since you may die soon, this may well be your last chance to tell her at all. Isn't that reason enough?" They were right, he realised. He had to tell her now because he might not get another opportunity. Besides, who knew what she would say, and what she would do? "Thank you, guys," Ceodore smiled. "I think I know what to do now." As the lad ran off to find Ursula, Biggs turned to Wedge and said, "You always rephrase what I say at times like these!" "Only because you never give the right kind of advice, _Captain_," Wedge said wryly before they disappeared.

When Ceodore saw Ursula near the Lunar Whale, she was having some kind of 'talk' with her father. He listened into what they were talking about. They seemed to be having that talk about strength. "Father! I'm not a little girl any more! I want to have the true powers of a monk, like you! Why don't you give me that?" "Ursula! You are young and impressionable! The latent powers of a monk are far too dangerous for you to learn! You will learn them when you are 22, if you ever become worthy of wielding such power!" "But father! I want to be strong so that I can impress Ceodore! You know the way I feel about him!" Ceodore gagged at hearing this, and mentally slapped himself for not talking to her about love sooner. "If the main thing on your mind is boys, that's another reason not to teach you! Deep meditation is necessary to use that power and not lose control of it!"

And with that Yang stormed off, deeply unhappy with his daughter. Ursula, frustrated and upset, let out a long, loud groan before collapsing onto her knees. "Ceodore," she said to herself, as tears welled up her eyes. Speak of the Devil and he shall appear, it seemed, because Cecil's son chose that moment to come out from his hiding place. "Ursula, it's okay, I'm here." Rather than trying to hide anything from him, she jumped up into Ceodore's arms, and cried into his armour. Unsure of what else to do, Ceodore gingerly wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back gently, soothingly whispering to her that it was all right. As he held her, it felt so right, almost like they were made for each other. After what seemed like 15 minutes, she stopped crying, and with one final sniffle she wiped her eyes. "Ceodore, why?" "Because, Ursula, I lo–"

"Don't say it, just don't! I know what you're going to say, and don't!" She turned away from him and sighed angrily. "Why not, Ursula?" Ceodore asked with hurt in his voice. "Because you don't! You feel sorry for me, because you know why I'm crying. I don't need pity. And I certainly don't need you to confuse pity with love! What do you even know about love, anyway?" That was harsh, but Ceodore knew she was just scared. He had seen it in her eyes. Evidently Ursula had no experience of love or its related subjects. No wonder she was apprehensive about the L-word. He turned her round to face him. "No, Ursula. I know what this feeling is and while pity and sympathy are among the things in my head, I know how I feel about you. I used to wonder why we constantly looked at each other, only turn away blushing. I also wondered why you want to be like your father so much, a concept that is lost on me; and no doubt you have wondered why I want to be so different from my parents, which is just as lost on you."

She nodded, losing herself in the moment. Ceodore cupped her head in his hands gently. "But then I realised how much we have to learn from each other, and how I feel about you, from the moment we met. You see, Ursula," Ceodore softly whispered to his friend, "You are the missing part of my life, and I am the missing part of yours. And… and darn it, I love you, Ursula, and that's the only thing that I know for sure any more! I've been forced to watch as my entire world changes around me, and my feelings for you are the only thing that still make sense in this Godforsaken galaxy!" Ursula was shocked at his outburst. A light blush tinted her cheeks, and she looked down at her feet. "Oh Ceodore, are you sure about this? I have a strong heart, well used to fighting, but it's sensitive to this kind of thing. I know we may not have each other for much longer but I - no - _we_, are both so young and scared. Please, I don't know if I'm ready for this…" Ceodore said nothing; he just leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. Ursula let him have his way, her eyes fluttering but not closing, feeling Ceodore's tender love and care behind his hesitant touch.

When he pulled apart they stared lovingly into each others eyes, and Ceodore and Ursula revelled in the Waves of pleasant calm washed over them. Ursula then leaned up and pulled Ceodore into a heated kiss, sucking his lower lip while entangling her hands in his short, unkempt hair. Ceodore was a little hesitant, but eventually he kissed her back, gently running his hands over the span of her back. When they pulled apart, Ursula leaned her head on his shoulder and snuggled into his embrace, affectionately nuzzling his neck. "I love you Ceodore," she said softly. "I love you too, Ursula," replied Ceodore. He played with her pigtails teasingly, causing her to giggle a little. "If we're going to pursue this relationship, do you promise me I won't lose you?" Ursula asked him. "I promise," Ceodore said, "Because you mean far too much to me for that." Then they sat together against a rock, his hand on hers, and simply found contentment in each other's company.


End file.
